Brentford’s new January recruit Chiedozie Ogbene feels he has already made big strides since arriving from Limerick last week. The 20-year-old signed a three-and-a-half-year deal following a spell on trial with the Bees from the League of Ireland Premier Division club. Chiedozie linked up with his new teammates permanently last week and has been impressed with what he has seen so far.

“The players have been very welcoming,” Chiedozie told iFollow Brentford yesterday. “They have taken me in and I have never been on my own. I’m enjoying it and I am really happy to be here. Everyone is energetic and positive and they want to win in every training session. That is what I want to be part of. The players want exactly what the club wants. It’s much easier to come in when the players want to win and everyone is working hard. You become like them in that you always want to win and you always want to work hard. Some players are more gifted than others but even the best of the best have to work hard to get where they are.”

The Nigerian-born youngster split his time between Gaelic Football and Football as a youngster before joining Cork City back in August 2015. He spent 18 months with Cork before breaking through at Limerick last season, scoring eight goals in 29 league starts for the Super Blues. Despite only training with The Bees for a week, Chiedozie feels he has already made big progress but there’s plenty more to come.

“My technical ability has got better,” Chiedozie responded, when asked about his first week of training. “In Ireland I just run about but here I don’t need to run unnecessarily. We have top quality players who can pick out passes so I am reading and understanding the game a bit better. Players are making great runs that can help me to open up the pitch and have options. I feel that I am getting better in the game and hopefully I continue that way. They are very open guys and they are always open to giving you information. That is the key as you always need to be willing to learn. Some people are better technically so I am trying to learn from them and some people are more physical, and I am trying to learn from them. I am trying to learn from everybody and bring it into my game.”

Coming from the League of Ireland to the Sky Bet Championship, Chiedozie has one aim in mind: first-team football. Although he admits that might be a little way off now, he hopes that, with a lot of hard work, it won’t be too long before he forces his way into Dean’s thinking.

“I have been doing my own bits in the morning, trying to catch up with the boys and I feel that I am getting closer,” revealed Chiedozie. “In training I don’t feel too out of place. The coaches are working with me after training to get me where I need to be and I am very grateful for that. I feel if I keep going how I am then I will be ready to go. I am just trying to get into the team. I am working every week to get into the squad and the team. If not this week then next week. I will keep going until it happens. That’s my short-term goal and then long-term I want to start playing and help the team score goals.”

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